Page 92 of His Property

He pulls away and goes to the window to inspect the damage. “Yesterday, someone broke in while I was at work. They flooded my bathroom and poured gasoline on my bed sheets.”

“What the hell?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

“She’s trying to intimidate me,” Victor says, turning away from the window to look at me. “She’s just a fucking bitch. I bet this is a dare to call the police or something.”

“What does she want?” I ask, walking closer to him.

He flings his hand in a ‘fuck if I know’ gesture and shakes his head. “My house? To fuck with me? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. I expected her to show up here with a court order telling me to leave by now. I don’t know what the hell she wants or what she’s even doing. Gabi said she was pissed about her stuff being thrown away, but she hasn’t contacted Gabi since then.”

I glance at the broken window. I think she’s probably just fucking with him. He sent the woman to prison, so it isn’t exactly shocking that she might be a bit vengeful toward him. Still, gasoline on his bed? A broken window? What’s her end game?

“Did it look like her on the bike?” I ask, although it’s useless. The person was wearing a hoodie, and they were far away.

He shrugs. “I don’t know. They seemed a little bulky to me. It was probably the same guy Gabi saw Cora with before. It isn’t unlike her to get other people to do her dirty work.”

I slowly nod while staring at the window.

“You know,” I say, knowing I’m about to regret this. “Cora is on parole. One minor slip, and she’ll go back to prison.”

“What’s your point?”

I look at Victor and gesture toward the window. “This is harassment, and you were the victim who put her away. One trip to a police station and—”

Victor’s jaw tightens as he holds up his hand. “Do not finish that sentence, Mae.”

I bite my lip and reluctantly nod. I wish Victor wasn’t so damn stubborn.

“That’s an idea, though,” he says, looking over my shoulder as he thinks.

“What is?”

“Gabi said the guy she was with looked young. He could be under eighteen.”

“So then I could put in an anonymous tip and—”

“No.” Victor’s brows pinch as he meets my eyes. “That’s not what I mean. I could use it to threaten her, but I’m not involving the police, Mae. At all. Ever. I’ve been down that road, and I will never go back, sopleasestop bringing it up.”

“Okay,” I say with a tight smile.

I would never tell Victor this, and if he found out, I’m scared of what would happen between us, but I’m making that anonymous call. If there’s a chance she could be victimizing another minor, I don’t have it in me to let that go. No matter the consequences for my relationship with Victor.

“Where would she even meet someone so young?” I ask, hoping he’ll give me something I can tell the police.

He sighs. “I don’t know. It may be an old student.” He tilts his head side to side while he weighs the odds. “It’sprobablyan old student.”

My eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

Victor blinks like he just realized he hadn’t told me something. He crosses his arms over his chest. “She was a teacher before she went to prison. Middle school science.”

My stomach turns, and I try not to let him see me react to that. After everything he told me, this woman is the last person on Earth who should be educating children.

How many other kids has she hurt?

And another nauseating thought…I’ma teacher. I don’t remind him of her… right?

“Oh.”

“Why is your face pale?” Victor asks, squinting at me.

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